Philadelphia Flyers Taking Trade Calls on Rasmus Ristolainen
Kevin Kurz of The Athletic: Kurz writes that if the Philadelphia Flyers stumble out of the gate, they will be taking calls on defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. As there was last season, teams called on Ristolainen’s availability leading up to the deadline. However, the Flyers are not going to give him away.
He has one year left on his contract at a $5.1 million salary cap hit. Being a right-shot defenseman helps, given that they are in demand this time of year. Ristolainen can slide into anyone’s top four and play. Teams like the Dallas Stars are looking to add a right-shot defenseman as they missed out on Rasmus Andersson. That is a good fit given how many players from Finland are on the team.
As we are seeing around the league, even with the few sellers, the Flyers aren’t going to give him away. The Stars have first and second round picks in the 2027 NHL Draft, but none this year. Interest around the league is building for a player of Ristolainen’s ilk.
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NHLRumors.com Note: The Flyers are not only getting interest from the Stars on Ristolainen, but as NHLRumors.com has reported via Anthony Di Marco of The Daily Faceoff, teams like the Edmonton Oilers, Detroit Red Wings, and Tampa Bay Lightning have all checked in on Ristolainen. We saw him play well for Finland at the Olympics. Could the Flyers get a similar package to what the Boston Bruins got for Brandon Carlo?
Who’s Trade Value is on the Rise from the Olympics
Matt Larkin of Daily Faceoff: Larkin looks at several players coming out of the Olympics whose trade value could be on the rise heading into the Trade Deadline, which is a week away now.
Jordan Binnington – For a guy that a lot of people scrutinized heading into the Olympics, Binnington showed he can still deliver in the big moments and pressure-packed moments with a good defence in front of him. Noise has picked up on Binnington, but there is a sense that it could be more of a summer move for the St. Louis Blues. Plus, Binnington has a 14-team no-trade clause.
Mika Zibanejad – Zibanejad had a great tournament for Sweden. He was one of their leading scorers and showed he can still put the puck in the net. Again, it all comes down to whether he wants to leave New York right now. This is a summer move, as well as the New York Rangers, who are in the midst of a rebuild.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – While Larkin didn’t think highly of OEL’s play for Sweden at the Olympics, as he documented, Sam Hallam’s decision-making has to be questioned. However, Oliver Ekman-Larsson is still a steady top-four defenseman in the NHL. Given where the Toronto Maple Leafs are in the standings, this is a trade chip that has value on the market despite his subpar play at the Olympics.
Elias Pettersson – The big question is: Will the Vancouver Canucks trade Elias Pettersson? Pettersson, like OEL, was held back by the coach. Though there were stretches where Pettersson looked like his old self. There is still hope for the Swede, but the question is who will take on that $11.5 million cap hit.
Eeli Tolvanen – Tolvanen is a free agent this summer for the Kraken. He had limited ice time for Finland at the Olympics. Seattle wants to make the playoffs, so they need him. However, his play outside of one game, where Finland won Bronze, and he padded his stats, shows the inconsistency still in his game.
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Other players, like prospect goalies Damian Clara and Samuel Hlavaj, raised their stock for the future. Could they see a change of scenery and be the goalie of the future for another team?
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